NEW DELHI : Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said India would resume issuing visas to Canadians if it saw progress in the safety of its diplomats.

"Our diplomats (in Canada) are not safe. So, if we see progress there, I would like very much to resume the issue of visas. My hope would be that it is something which should happen very, very soon," Jaishankar said on Sunday.

Ties between Canada and India strained after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in mid-September accused Indian government agents of being behind the assassination of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil.

India denied the allegations and described them as "absurd and motivated."   Both countries issued travel advisories urging their citizens to "exercise utmost caution" while traveling to some regions in the other country. Furthermore, India's visa processing center in Canada suspended services. Last week, Canada evacuated 41 diplomats and 42 accompanying dependents from India after the Indian government threatened to strip them of their diplomatic immunity.